


The Prince of Sky City

by CaffeineeOverdosee



Category: MCSM, Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Lukas centric, M/M, Miscarriage mention, See Notes Please!, Sky Prince AU, both ships are only implied at the moment, thats all i can say bc of spoilers ;)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-14
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2020-01-13 09:00:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18465748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaffeineeOverdosee/pseuds/CaffeineeOverdosee
Summary: The past can be complicated and messy, no matter how hard one tries to bury it always claws it's way back to the present. Isa knows this better than anyone, she only hopes the consequences for actions that weren't hers will be kind to her.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> hello gamers lets get this loafage  
> i just had a couple of things to say before you begin reading and they were too long to put in the tags! so im putting them here, thats what the tags are so vague  
> So first of all, there are a couple of characters that could be considered OCs, but i didnt tag them bc i didnt want to scare off any purists, they are not the main characters! so no worries there, One of them is Ina, Isa's sister, who only appears in the first chapter and may be mentioned sporadically throughout the rest of the fic, and the other is Isa's unnamed husband who is only ever mentioned.  
> second there is a couple of deaths, the miscarriage as tagged, and then one more adult, but they aren't major and it isn't gore-y so i didn't tag it, it does mention blood a couple times though, stay safe gamers  
> third,,,, i cannot write minecraft, i just,,, didnt want to write about inventory burial, its WAY less dramatic !!! and thats what im going for is drama  
> anyway uhh thank u for reading my notes lets get into the content B)!!  
> ps sorry about the vague summary! i didnt want to spoil anything even from the prologue, hopefully it was spicy enough to get u to read it

 

"Ina! Ina, you did it." A woman holds a newborn baby boy in her arms, cradling him gently and with a love unexplained. It was a new feeling for her. She had just had a child of her own recently, but it was a miscarriage. She never had a chance to feel anything but regret and sorrow for the child that was almost hers. This must have been the feeling that every other mother had a chance to have. Jealousy claws at her belly, but only for a moment.

"Isa, dear sister. Look at me." Isa looks away from the child for a moment to see that Ina was pale. Losing blood. She was dying and there was nothing Isa could do. 

"Ina! Ina, no! Please hold on there has to be something we can do." Isa stands, the child still in her arm. It cries loudly still, screaming with the forces of new beginnings and final moments. 

Ina grabs her sister by the dress to stop her. "Stop. It's too late for me." She pauses. "Let me hold him? Just once?"

Isa looks down at her, panic still flared in her belly, but her sister was so calm. Isa didn't understand how she could be so calm when she was dying. She wouldn't be there for the baby. What would happen to him after he was gone? Her husband, Reginald would still be around and would be a great father, but he would be devastated by Ina's death. He would be in no shape to raise a child without her.

She pushes the thoughts of the future from her mind and leans back down to hand Ina her child. The jealousy came tearing back, but Isa ignores it. How horrible she must be to feel jealousy in a time like this.

Ina looks down at her child, tears running down her face. So many emotions flash in her dying ocean eyes. The blue seemed to dull as the seconds pass. It is clear she doesn't have much time left. Suddenly she looks up. "Isa. I have something to tell you."

"Anything."

"I made a mistake. Nine months ago."

"What do you mean?" 

Ina takes a shuttering breath, her blue eyes looked gray and her skin whiter than anything Isa had ever seen. "I... Do you remember, when my dearest, Reggie was busy with the recruits? He trained them for so many hours, day and night. He didn't... It felt like he didn't have time for me. It felt like he didn't care about me."

"Ina. Did you..."

"Don't. You have to help me hide this from him. Does he know that yours...?" Ina knew it would have been best not to mention it, but she only had so much time left. Sympathy was in short supply.

"No. He's been... busy." Isa says. It had always been a trend that Ina do things on her own, with Reggie always working. It hadn't changed even when he thought he was becoming a father. 

"Good" She takes another long breath, but it is weak. "Tell him both of us have died. Both the child and I. Take him, and claim him as yours." She hands Isa the baby, barely left with enough strength to offer the boy to her. 

"No. Ina. Please this is too much." Isa didn't want to lie to anyone. Her lead guard, who she trusted with her life. Her kingdom, who she loved with her heart. The child, who she would come to cherish with her soul. How long would it take for people to find out? Not long. Isa was not a good liar.

"Isa, please. Milo... may help you. If he loved me like I hope he did."

Isa wasn't so sure that was true. She had met Milo before. He was impulsive and an idiot. He never listened to anything Isa had to say. He always insisted that she was tyrannous when she did her best to be anything but. He was a stain on her name, but she felt desperate. "I... Yes, Ina. I'll ask for his help." 

"Thank you." Ina shuts her eyes and her breathing slows to a stop. 

Isa felt lost. Her sister was gone. Another loss. There had been too many in such a short time. 

Her husband had been the first to go, fighting a disease he had been contaminated with while fighting something created by the Eversource. Isa had never named it, it was the first time they spawned that creature and never again would she try. No matter how abundant the resources it may provide.

Shortly after their child had been born, but was too weak to live longer than the mere seconds it had. She had even decided on a name with her husband before he passed, but there was no use naming a boy that would never hear it. He never would have learned how to spell his name. Or write it. It would never become him because he was already gone. 

Ina's death was the last straw for Isa. She didn't know who to turn to or where to go. She felt alone. Completely alone except for Ina's son. Her son. She had to remember that this boy was meant to be hers. This boy had no name either. Not yet. But he would. No matter how much it pained her to give him the name of his fallen cousin, she did it anyway. It made the lie easier to for herself to believe.

"Lukas." She murmurs, kissing his forehead with every ounce of love in her heard that she could muster.

He was still crying, as if he were mourning his mother. He couldn't have been, he didn't know any better, but Isa thought for just a moment that maybe he was. She deserved to be missed by her own son. But she never would. 

Isa rocks him, to quiet his cries, but it felt hypocritical. She was weeping herself. So she wipes her tears and smiles for him. "Hey, baby." She says, her voice low and soft.

His cries die away, and he coos in response.

"There we go." She sits down on the floor next to Ina's body. Lukas still lies in her arms. She doesn't have any desire to put him down. That scared her. Anything could happen to him when she was trying to sort this mess out.

If she laid him down to bury Ina, he could roll off the bed. She had no one to watch him for her to make sure he didn't. She could either bring him to bury Ina, or risk laying him down.

Neither option a good one.

Luckily, Lukas took it upon himself to decide for her. He had fallen asleep while Isa stared out the window trying to figure out what to do. She smiles softly at him, and takes him to the room she had built for her child. She had avoided coming in here after her child had come and gone, but here she was again. She never thought she would have to look at everything again. It was bittersweet having Lukas being the one laying here. He was her son, but she couldn't forget the child she lost. Not this quickly.

She sets him in the crib, taking one last glance around the room before closing the door silently behind her. She steps swiftly back into the room where Ina's body lain, silent and cold. She sobs quietly, as to not awaken Lukas. She wraps Ina in a clean set of sheets and carries her behind the palace, laying her down so she could dig her grave. Beneath the tree that had started it all, right next to where she had buried her newborn. It seemed fitting to choose the place where it all started to end everything she ever knew.

From this point on things would be different.

Things would be a lie.

She didn't know how long she could handle it, but she knew she had to.

She marks Ina's grave. "Ina, the one who dreams." She could have made something great of this city that they once shared, her dreams and aspirations always having been the light of Isa's life. Isa only hoped that she could fulfill those dreams of hers.

She turns to the grave of her newborn son. "Lukas" was all it had read. Her eyes fill with tears again. She felt angry and bitter. None of this needed to happen. No one needed to die. She didn't understand why all of this need land on her shoulders. She already has a city to rule, people to care for and now she has to lie to all of them for things that weren't her fault. She didn't know who to be mad at. Who to blame. She couldn't find it in herself to blame Ina, she only wanted to be loved. Her child, lifeless from the start, need not be blamed either. He was a child, now nameless.

She felt herself pinning it all on Milo, if he had never existed Ina would still be alive. That was what mattered most to Isa. 

There was a chance that she didn't have to lie to all of her people. She could demand Milo take Lukas and raise him as his own. She could shuck this responsibility off on him. It may distract him long enough to forget about his rebellion.

That's what she would do. The choice made itself didn't it? She pushes aside her maternal instincts. Her kingdom's trust needed to come first.

She kicks the sign that had once marked her son's grave. Watching it fall into the void with no remorse. She leaves the garden, her child's grave unmarked.

 

\---

 

It was dark, but the streets were lit brightly. No one was out at this time of night, Isa was safe from onlookers, but she still feared them. Windows looked on like eyes and the houses  loomed over her like the lies she would soon tell. She prayed to the moon and the stars that Lukas would stay quiet on their way to the Inn and her prayers were answered. They traveled noiselessly, and arrived at the inn-keep's home.

Isa knocks. The lights within were on, and she could hear people inside. The door opens within a matter of seconds. "Hello..." Milo says, looking Isa's cloaked form up and down trying to determine her intentions. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"In fact there is. I need to discuss something with you. Privately. May I come in?" Isa's voice was low and unintentionally threatening. She had planned to simply ask to speak with him, but her anger was bubbling over.

Milo didn't seem intimidated. "Of course, dear Founder." He bows, over exaggerating his respect for her. A thing he clearly had none of. He gestures for her to enter.

She nods in thanks as she passes him, taking off her hood to reveal her identity to the rest of the room. There were a couple of other rebellious trouble makers that quickly ducked out once they realized the Founder was here. She acts as if she doesn't know why they were all here, to make them feel at least a bit more comfortable.

"Our Founder wishes to speak with me. We will have to continue this meeting another time." Milo announces this to the six or seven other people in the room.

Isa, unsurprised by his lack of subtlety doesn't even look his direction when he announces this. She instead holds her head high and manages to pass on a couple fake smiles to her citizens as they leave.

"There. All alone." Milo pours himself a glass of water, and offers one to Isa. She declines. "What do you want?" He asks, but in reality it sounded more like a demand.

Isa wastes no time to get to the point. "Ina is dead." 

Milo coughs in surprise, the water he had taken a drink of getting caught in his throat as she told him. "What? She... How?"

He didn't seem upset, shocked seemed to be a better descriptor. Isa knew there was no point in asking for his help now, but she promised her sister that she would try. "She died giving birth to your child." She looks down at Lukas who was falling asleep in her arms. A pang of regret fills her chest. Did she really want to give him up?

Anger flashed in Milo's eyes, disbelief lingered behind it. " _My_ child! We rarely saw each other. Spoke even less! She had one moment of weakness and that was all and you expect me to believe she had _my_ child? You're just lying to scare me into submission. Well that will never happen, my dear founder. Someday your reign will fall." 

Frustrated, Isa keeping her voice low as to not wake Lukas, scolds Milo for his idiocy. "Milo! Forget your rebellion for just a second! Ina with her dying breath asked me to request your help. You need to take him! I cannot lie to my kingdom, claiming him as mine. It's just not right. If you take him there would be no need to lie. _You_ are his father! This is _your_ responsibility."

"No. My duty is to the people you have held down for so many years. This is Ina's fault."

Isa couldn't hold back her anger anymore. She doesn't think twice before socking him in the nose. He groans loudly in pain, which awakens Lukas who begins to cry. She pays no mind. "You will watch your mouth. If you speak that way about my sister again you will have hell to pay." Isa wraps her arms around Lukas again and tries to get him to calm down. Love washes over her anger and she feels content. Lukas in Milo's hands simply would have bred another revolutionary. She hated the lies she was destined to tell, but the love she had developed for Lukas over only a few hours since his birth mattered more than any regrets she would have in the future.

"Damn you to hell." Milo's voice is muffled behind his hand, bloodied from his nose running red. 

"If I have to lie now, I trust you won't tell anyone. If you do, I can't say what will happen, but I'm sure you could guess." She turns away from him, Lukas was now calmed down again, his eyes fluttering shut once more.

Milo doesn't respond, too busy tending to his most likely broken nose to care about any further threats Isa was making.

"Have a good evening, Milo." She opens the door quietly and shuts it behind her as she heads back to her palace, waiting for her, empty.

 

\---

 

"The Founder has an announcement to make! Everyone gather in front of the palace!" Reginald and a few other guards march around the streets telling people of the meeting. Within a few minutes the entire city is standing in front of the palace and the Founder stands in front of them all, Lukas in her arms. The crowd murmurs and whispers things about the child. Where Ina was. Usually they made announcements together, but that couldn't happen anymore. Isa tries not to think about it.

"Good morning! I just... wanted to tell you all about the past couple of days." Her eyes scan the crowd for a moment, her presence commanding attention. Her eyes fall on Milo for a second too many. He looks back at her, anger in his his eyes as he stands stiff in the back of the group. She looks away. "A couple nights ago I gave birth to Lukas. The Prince of Sky City." Delighted murmurs sweep the crowd and guilt nearly overtakes Isa. "Before you all celebrate I have something more to say. Ina gave birth to her child a last night... but she passed away in the process." She lets the group take that in for a moment. It was the hardest thing for her citizens to process. Having one of their leaders be taken from them so suddenly would be a blow to anyone. Some begin to cry, others wail, and a rare few stay silent. She glances at Reginald, who she told the night before. She can see his jaw tighten, but she pushes onward. "It pains my heart to say that the child did not survive either, but we can move past this. I trust that all of you will stay strong for me as I will stay strong for you." The citizens murmur in a quiet agreement. Isa decides it would be best for her to comfort her citizens of their loss herself, the guards usually handed out stick rations but today she would help do that. After all the lies she told them, it would be only fair. "I will be around the city to see how things are myself in a moment. You are dismissed."

She turns her back to the crowd and walks over to Reginald, who was holding back tears. "My Founder. Are you sure you are of the right mind to visit everyone today?"

"Yes, I will be fine. Besides, you need to rest. I know you're upset about Ina, you just won't say it."

Reginald looks away from her, her knowing gaze could be too much for just one man. "Alright, I'll stay behind. I can watch the Prince while you are out, if you'd like."

Isa hesitates. This child was the manifestation of Ina's betrayal to him. This child should have been his, but he never would be in more ways than one. Never would he know about it, but the situation still felt wrong. Not only that, but she didn't like leaving Lukas for long, but she nods anyway. "Yes, I think... that would be best. Thank you, Reginald."

"It's no trouble." He says, taking Lukas from her arms. He smiles sadly at Lukas, pulling the blankets away from his face to reveal his baby blue eyes. The scene was far too much for Isa to bear. She quickly turns and heads out into her city to comfort her people.


	2. Responsibilities and Desires

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's finally the day for Lukas to prove himself worthy of becoming the next leader of Sky City. But is he ready to face the creatures created by the Eversource?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whOoPs sorry about the uhhh cheesy summary lmao, it be like that sometimes. I'm surprised i even wrote a chapter 1? Staying with a multi chapter fic is very hard for me. Hopefully I'll keep on it.  
> Also Lukas is a bit out of character, and I did that a little on purpose since he was raised in a completely different enviornment to the canon one. But also he barely has any personality in the game, im sorry to say, so I had to make things better to write. Sorry if... you hate it !  
> Aight anyway, theres a bit of blood in this chapter i dont think id consider it gore, but just to let u know so u can stay safe it is in there.  
> ps can u believe how much lukas loves his mom it makes me SO soft  
> good luck gamers ill see u next time

**19 Years Later**

Dull morning light shines through the windows of the palace. Things are quiet, as they usually are for this time in the morning. Lukas is still in bed, lying on his belly beneath a blanket or two. He flips through the pages of the book he is reading idly. He barely skims through the pages, not quite awake yet to be able to read it totally. Not that it mattered. He knew it by heart since he had already read it several times. There was no need to read it again, but he always found himself drawn back to it.

Sitting up, sets it down on his bedside table, revealing the cover. _Biomes: A Guide to Inter-Biome Travel_ , the cover reads. It was simply harmless fiction, there was no such thing as a Biome. Sky City was far too small for any such possibility, but Lukas was fascinated by the concept of a world larger than anything. No void underneath to worry about falling into. Resources that would last forever. It all sounded too goo to be true, and it was. There was no world like that, but Lukas liked to imagine it.

The book was written as if it were fact, which made it easy to slip into a daydream about it all. So he did, frequently. As much as he loved Sky City he would do anything to see new sights. Discover new creatures. Maybe he would find himself on an adventure that could give him an idea for his own book to write.

Writing had always been his passion, ever since he was young. It had developed into a hobby that he almost wished could be perhaps a little bit more than that. Unfortunately, he had a duty to his kingdom. A kingdom he loved dearly, but there was only so much he could handle. Stress was not something he dealt with well, and Sky City was nothing but stress.

Lukas raises his arms above his head in a stretch, his shirt raising off of his belly to reveal a bit of skin. He tugs it back down as he kicks the blankets off of his legs. He picks up his journal that had been lain on the bed side table last night. He had been trying to write a story that he was working on, but had nearly fallen asleep while doing so. He had saved himself from a lecture by putting the journal off to the side before falling asleep. Reginald, Lukas preferred to call him Reggie, had found Lukas asleep face pressed into his journal many mornings before. He always told Lukas it was bad for his neck to fall asleep that way, or if he had fallen asleep that way he needed to go to bed earlier.

Lukas had never listened, of course, he always smiled, laughed, and told Reggie not to worry about it. Reggie never scolded him any further than that, his heart too soft on Lukas to ever be truly angry at him. They had grown close over the years, close enough that Lukas began to consider him a father figure. Reggie had always taken pride in that fact. After Ina had passed, he whipped himself into shape. He was eaten up by guilt for not spending more time with Ina while she was alive. Her death sparked a desire in him to be better. It takes tragedy to shape a man.

At least that was what Lukas had been told. He had never met Ina, and he didn't consider it a loss. He didn't know anything about her, Reggie nor his mama ever mentioned her. Her name blew in a tense air that made his chest tighten. It always scared him when mama was unhappy. In any context. It always seemed that she was fragile in that regard. That she could shatter at any second.

Of course, Lukas knew that wasn't true. Mama was the strongest person he knew. He knew that. It was logical. On the more emotional side of things, he just wanted to make sure she was okay.

Lukas after sitting lost in his thoughts for a moment or so, he finally stands. With the journal in his arms, he walks over to his dresser. He sets the journal on top to dress himself. He pulls on his clothes in a sleepy haze, the front skewed and the sleeves twisted. It was uncomfortable, but he didn't care enough to fix it. He scoops his journal back into his arms with a yawn and trudges out of his room, pushing his door open with his body so he didn't need to spare the effort of raising his arm.

He was immediately greeted by Reggie, who was waiting outside the door for him. Lukas was hoping to avoid him for just a bit longer so he could do some writing before they started, but he wasn't lucky enough to have avoided Reggie. He woke up far too early and Lukas valued his sleep more than he did avoiding Reggie.

"Good morning, Lukas." Reggie smiles. "Are you ready for training today?"

Lukas suppresses any outward reaction, to save Reggie's feelings. Lukas loved spending time with Reggie, and arguably it was one of Lukas's favorite pastimes. Training however was not, but sometimes Reggie took things a bit too personally. "Yeah, sure."

Reggie cocks a brow at Lukas's uniform, twisted from how little effort he had put in while putting it on. "You look ready." He teases, gesturing to Lukas's bedhead. Reggie grabs the fabric of Lukas's and straightens it for him. "I'll give you a bit." He says, and turns to walk away.

Lukas's face darkens in embarrassment, but shakes it off fast enough to catch Reggie before he left. "Wait, actually. Can you read my story so far? I wanted your opinion." Lukas holds out his journal. Within it were words that built an entirely new world fresh from Lukas's dreams.

Reggie takes it from him hesitantly, "Are you just stalling to get out of training for a while?"

Lukas smirked, "I didn't think I was that predictable."

Reggie raises both of his eyebrows and moves to hand the journal back to Lukas. Lukas pushes it back to him. "I'm joking. I won't be long. Just skim it maybe? I'll be fast. Promise." Lukas turns and walks away before Reggie can say no. Not that he would, Reggie had a hard time telling Lukas no.

Lukas slips into the bathroom to brush his hair, all it takes is a few sweeps of a comb for it to bounce back in its place. He applies his make up with a impressive sort of speed. He had many years of experience applying the same makeup everyday, so it had become muscle memory. After that he dons his headband, similar to his mother's but his blue instead. A symbol of royalty, and a garment that Lukas found uncomfortable wearing for more reasons than one.

Once finished, he pushes the door open and heads back to Reggie who was standing next to a wall not quite leaning on it, with nose in Lukas's journal.

Lukas was nearly bursting with pride. It took a lot to get Reggie to be this invested in literature. He was a man of brawn as opposed to brains, whereas Lukas was the opposite. He always looked up to Reggie for his strength, but was never confident in his own abilities to ever notice any improvement. That was one of the reasons he disliked training so much. His own frustration seemed to be the biggest barrier, behind only his fears.

He knew once he took over the kingdom he would take on the responsibility to fight the mobs that the Eversource created. It was the only way his dear city would get the resources and building material it needed. As horrifying as Lukas found his situation, he took no steps to prevent his fate. He knew what he was meant to do and no matter how frightened he became he would do his job. It was moments like these which he wished he was anything like his mother. She was always so brave. She would wear the weight of her kingdom on her back if she needed to. Lukas wasn't so sure he would go that far.

Reggie glances up at Lukas once he had walked over, keeping his face tilted down toward the journal. "I'm nearly finished." He says, continuing to read Lukas's loopy text.

Reggie doesn't look up for another minute or so, which Lukas doesn't mind. He leans against the wall next to Reggie, glancing over his shoulder to see where in the story he was. He remembers with ease the part he was at, he had written the words himself after all.

_And he falls. Into the abyss. Endlessly. He stares back into the sky to the city from which he fell. He could no longer see it. He had fallen so far. Darkness began to overtake everything around him, so he shuts his eyes. Takes a breath. Still falling, he let's the void rock him to sleep._

Lukas was unsure what he would write next. He didn't like unhappy endings. He would change it eventually, because it didn't feel right for his hero's story to end that way. Unfortunately, he was stuck in a rut. He had no idea what to write next.

"Wow." Reggie, closes the journal and hands it back to Lukas. He clearly had a lot of opinions about the ending, he just didn't want to say. Most likely to save Lukas's feelings, which honestly? Lukas appreciated. "That was..."

Lukas moves off the wall to face Reggie and takes the journal back. "Sad?" Lukas offers, with a knowing smile.

"Yeah." Reggie seemed to be struggling with his emotions. His lip quivered, and his eyebrows were furrowed in concern. It was an odd sight to behold. Lukas suddenly felt guilty for making Reggie feel this way, yet at the same time he was proud that his work had such an effect.

"I don't think I'm done yet. It'll be better when I figure out what to write next." Lukas hoped that would make him feel better.

And it did. Reggie's shoulders seemed to relax and he smiles. "Good. Awfully sad to leave it like that. It was beautiful otherwise. You're very talented Lukas."

Lukas rubs the back of his neck. "Thanks, Reggie "

"No problem, kiddo." Reggie ruffles Lukas's hair and pats him on the back with a chuckle. "Alright, then. Are you ready for some training now?"

"Sure." Lukas agrees absentmindedly, a bit too busy fixing his hair that Reggie had tousled.

"I was thinking, maybe we step it up today."

Lukas's heart nearly stops. "How so?" No matter how they stepped up his training, Lukas would not enjoy it. What made it all worse was he felt like he knew where this was going.

"Your mother and I think you're ready to start facing Eversource spawns."

It was just as he had feared. He felt nauseous, but he tried to suppress it. He couldn't be this scared. His mother never was and he had to be like her if he was going to lead Sky City. He swallows hard. "Okay," is all he can say.

He must have done a decent job pretending as if he were fine, because Reggie doesn't seem to notice his trembling hands. "Good. Your mother will be there to observe your progress and I will be there to help you." Reggie begins walking toward the throne room where the secret entrance was located.

Lukas dragged his feet, but still followed. He was a coward and was acutely aware of it, but was uncertain of what to do to change that. Facing what was arguably one of his biggest fears seemed like it was too big of a step for Lukas to handle on this new self proclaimed journey of his.

But there was no going back now.

They were here.

After the mine cart ride down the the underside of Sky City, Lukas felt even more sick. His mother had been waiting for them at the end of the track, and Lukas didn't hesitate to throw himself into her arms. Her hugs always made him feel better.

"Hey, b- Oh!" She smiles in understanding, and rubs his back at an attempt at comfort. "Are you nervous?"

Lukas pulls away, he feels it was necessary to put up a front. He couldn't be scared in the presence of the bravest woman in the kingdom, that would be embarrassing. Lukas shrugs, "It's no big deal. I'll be okay. I was just happy to see you."

His mother knows him better than that, but she doesn't say anything. Instead, she smiles. "You'll do great. I promise." She rubs his arm for a moment before pulling her arm away. "I'll let you do your thing, I'll just be watching from over there," she gestures vaguely to the opposite side of the room "Okay?"

He nods and watches her go. He had nearly forgotten the worst part. His mother would be watching him. Deciding if he really was up to the task of leading Sky City. It was what he had been born and raised to do, but there was always a sneaking suspicion that he wouldn't be good at it. Like it wasn't what he was meant to do. He doesn't typically dwell on thoughts like those for long, but he was losing his composure. Stress made him forget how to think rationally, and it was a fatal flaw. He was tumbling down a dark hole if he continued to think like this. All of his insecurities and fears were bubbling over. He tries to block those thoughts off, but it didn't seem to be working.

He moves over to Reggie who was waiting for him with a spawn egg in his hand. Lukas didn't look at it for any longer than a second. He stared Reggie in the face, afraid that if he glanced down at the egg again it would hatch. He had seen a zombie before, and he remembered all too well what it had looked like while he observed his mother battling one. It wasn't the worst of mobs, but he couldn't say he ever desired to battle one.

"I'm gonna start you off with something easy. Zombie's are only an issue in big numbers, just remember what I've taught you and you'll do great." Reggie draws his sword, flipping it around to offer Lukas the hilt.

Lukas takes it, rolling the hilt over in his hands for a couple seconds before taking a true hold of it. He looks back up at Reggie and nods just barely. Secretly he hoped Reggie wouldn't see, but luck didn't seem to be on his side this morning.

Reggie sees his single and throws the spawn egg down on the ground. It smashes open and from it's shell forms the humanoid form of a zombie. It was worse than Lukas remembered. It's flesh seemed to melt off of it's body. The scent caused Lukas to gag. The groans seemed to be amplified in Lukas's panic. He doesn't swing his sword. He barely moves. He just stares the creature in the eyes as it approaches. Quaking in fear.

Lukas thinks he can hear someone yelling, but his ears were ringing. All he could hear the blood rushing through his body and the moans of the un-dead creature approaching him.

The zombie was only a couple of steps away. Lukas tries to raise his sword but instead he drops it. His hands shaking too much to get a good grip on it. He quickly bends over to pick it up. He needed to recover, and he needed to do it now. He couldn't think about how scared he was. Or how sick he felt.

But as he was picking up his sword the zombie gets too close. It falls on him, pinning him to the ground. Lukas struggles to push it off, but his strength was gone. The stress had been too much. While he tried to get away the creature sunk its teeth into his arm and he screams in pain.

The body drops all the way on top of him. Dead weight. The mob no longer moves, but Lukas doesn't notice. He was too panicked to care. Lukas flinches away from it in a panic, smashing his head against the ground. Pain throbs against his skull, but he barely notices. He presses himself against the ground, squeezing his eyes shut as if that would save him. His breaths were fast and shallow, the weight of the body on top of him didn't make it any easier to breathe.

Then it was pulled off of him.

Someone was speaking to him but he couldn't hear. He tries to open his eyes but his vision blurred. Was he losing blood? He didn't have the strength to lift his arm to check. He was light headed and his eyes begin to flutter shut. The last thing he sees before passing out was someone leaning over him. The last thing he feels is panic, but his body gives up and there's nothing left he can do but close his eyes and hopes he wakes up.

  
Lukas awakens in his dark room. The curtains were closed, but there was no light behind them leaking from the tops of the windows where the fabric didn't cover. He must have been asleep for a few hours, night had fallen over Sky City. The darkness of his room made him uneasy, it reminded him of danger. What danger he couldn't recall at this moment.

He looks down at his arm. It had been wrapped tightly with a bandage, but had been bled through. Its hue dark, indicating it had been in fact been several hours since he had passed out. He just couldn't remember how. It was a blur. He tries to sit up, but he puts too much weight onto his injured arm. He collapses and squeals in pain.

Within seconds, his mother burst into the room. "Lukas! Lukas, you're awake!" She throws herself at him, but is especially careful not to hurt him.

"Mama?" He blinks slowly, trying to remembered what had happened to him. He regretted the effort pretty quickly, his head ached. "Wh..." He groans, before he can finish his sentence, the pain too much to bear.

"Shh, shh. It's okay, baby." His mother slips onto the bed with him, rocking with her arms wrapped around him. She was trembling and her voice was strained by the effort it took to keep it level. She was doing her best to keep herself from crying, but it was difficult. Especially with Lukas in this state. His eyes unfocused and his breathing labored. It was one of her worst nightmares to see him like this.

Lukas lies with his eyes skewed shut, doing his best to will the pulsating pain in his head away. "What happened?"

"That doesn't matter. You're okay." She was trying to convince her herself more than anything. "You're okay... You're okay." She kisses his forehead.

Lukas doesn't push her to talk about it, it seemed unfair. She was so scared, it was rare that he had ever seen her this traumatized. The only other time it had happened was when he had nearly fallen from the city when he was too young to understand the gravity of the situation. Her reaction scared him then and it scared him now, whatever had happened must have been...bad to say the least.

That didn't stop him from trying to remember, it hurt but he kept trying. It came to him in flashes, painful and terrifying. His breathing quickened and he begins to panic at the memory of the rotting flesh rubbing against his. The weight of the corpse on top of his body. Tears run down his face as he clings to his mama. "I-I-I'm sorry. I was so scared. I just- I just- froze. And I- The city. I'm not--" He sobs and takes labored breaths in between each word.

Tears stream down her face, but she doesn't make a sound. Running her hands through his hair to try and calm him down, she speaks softly. "It's okay. Don't worry about the city. It's not your responsibility yet. You still have time to practice." She rocks him like a child again for a moment or two before continuing. "I was afraid too. When I began leading Sky City, I was young. I wanted to lead. To make my kingdom the best it could be, but I had forgotten the weight of the title. I learned soon enough how hard it would be. It's okay to be scared. We just have to learn to be brave."

Lukas lays his head back against her chest, feeling calm enough to relax again. He sighs and with a nod he simply says, "I'll try."

"I know you will, baby." She smooths his hair and kisses the top of his head again. "I'll let you rest a bit more. You hit your head hard earlier." She untangles her arms from around him and slips out from behind him, laying his head gently on the pillow. "I'll have a guard stay outside if you need anything. I'll see you in the morning. I love you."

"I love you, too, mama."

  
The next morning Lukas awakens, his head still throbbing but he felt infinitely better. Well enough for him to be able to focus on the pain in his arm instead. An unfortunate trade off, but he was glad to be able to think straight again. He gets up slowly, careful to not cause any more pain than was necessary. He pushes the door open and peeks outside. As he hadn't bothered to tidy himself up, he decided to save himself at least a bit of dignity by not stepping out of the room completely. The guard that was left posted outside of his room awakens and suddenly snaps to attention.

"Prince Lukas! Sir!"

"Hi." Lukas was plagued with guilt, he felt bad that his mother had made this young guard stay up all night to make sure he was alright. It didn't seem fair, even if this kid was doing his job. "You didn't have to stay up all night. You know mama just worries."

"Oh, it's no problem. I like working. I just fell asleep for a few seconds." The guard does his best to pretend that he wasn't really exhausted, but has to stifle a yawn mid-sentence.

Lukas smiles sympathetically, "You can get some rest. I'll tell mama that I told you to go."

The guard hesitates for a moment, but then smiles back. "Thank you, sir. Get well soon." He steps away from the door and waves as he walks away down the hall.

As soon as he disappears, Lukas snatches a fresh uniform and sneaks across the hall into the bathroom. He strips in one movement, and steps into the shower. He lets the water run cold, the pain in his head slowly ebbs away but the bite on his arm burns. He takes a washcloth to clean it, and tries to be as gentle as possible, but to no avail. He hisses in pain, but keeps cleaning it until the dried blood on his skin was washed away. He lets the water run down his back as he thinks, it was unwise in the position he was in. Vulnerable. Guilty. Pained. Thinking was not the smartest thing he could be doing. In reality, he should have been helping his mother decide which petitions to approve, or training with Reggie, or checking on the well being of his beloved citizens. Anything but thinking.

But he here he was, cool water falling against his skin, thinking.

There was just too much to think about, he almost didn't know where to begin. He could think about his cowardice in the face of danger, or his future as the King of Sky City, or his passions that had little to nothing to do with leading Sky City. All of his problems seemed to go hand in hand. He wasn't fit to lead, due to his fears, and he didn't exactly mind. If he was a poor leader, fine. Maybe they could find someone new. Someone better than him. He knew that was a selfish thing to think, but he didn't let himself ponder the possibility for long. Perhaps he could indulge, just this once.

But he wouldn't.

Lukas would then make a habit of it, and that was something he couldn't do. He may not have wanted to take on the weight of leading his kingdom, but he would have to. That's all there was to it.

He pulls himself from his thoughts, turning off the shower and stepping out. He towels himself down and slips into his clothes, making sure the fabric wasn't twisted again. He combs his hair back, decides against make up, and exits the room. He decides to look for Reggie. He could use some of his advice right about now. If he wouldn't let himself think about everything he had swimming around in his mind, the least he could do was let himself talk to someone about it. At least some of it. His lack of desire to lead was, quite frankly, better left unsaid.

He walks down the hall, taking his time to reach the throne room where Reggie was typically posted. He rewrapped his arm in a clean bandage he had found in the bathroom cabinet as he went. The hall opens up into the throne room and he sighs. Reggie was standing just next to the throne, his mother no where to be seen. For that he thanks the sky, his mother would have complicated things.

"Lukas! You should be resting!" Reggie takes a few steps toward Lukas, and in response Lukas takes a couple back in alarm.

"I'll be okay. I just... I needed to..." Lukas was his with a wave of second thoughts. Maybe he shouldn't even bother. It seemed to be to late now, Reggie was awaiting the end of his statement his eyebrows raised expectantly. "I wanted to talk to you. About what happened."

Reggie inhales, "Lukas..."

"Please? I need to get some stuff off of my chest. If that's okay."

Reggie hesitates, but eventually nods. He sits on the steps leading up to the throne, gesturing for Lukas to sit, too. "Alright then, son. Lay it on me."

Lukas fumbles with his hands for a few seconds, deciding on where he should even start. He takes a breath in, and lets it out, relaxig his shoulders. "I don't think... that I am cut out to lead Sky City. I couldn't fight one zombie, and you said that they were usually no problem. I forgot all of my training, because of how freaked out I got. How am I supposed to get what the city needs if I can't even fight one zombie?" His mother's words had meant a lot to him, but he couldn't help being hyperaware of how pathetic that seemed. He needed someone to understand that he wasn't cut out for this. Deep down he hoped for an out, anything to be able to be free of the chains of his title. But the guilt of not taking his responsibility as the Prince of Sky City seriously was held over his head. He didn't know which side would win. A classic heart versus mind dilemma.

Reggie's face softens, "Lukas, you know that's not true."

The part of Lukas that longed for a way out feels hopeless. There was no way he would be able to live in the way he wanted. Not that he knew how he wanted to live, but the chance to decide? For that, he would do anything. He does his best to forget any thought of anything other than this. This was his life, and if he was going to live it he may as well forget any other options.

"You'll be a great leader. You're great with people. You can make them listen, and want to follow you. That's what makes a good leader. I know the Eversource is dangerous, and you were scared. I thought you would be ready, but I was wrong." Reggie looks away from Lukas at the ground for a moment or two. Misty eyed he opens his mouth to speak, but shuts it again and sighs, putting his head in his hands. "I'm sorry."

It was at that moment Lukas realized why Reggie didn't want to talk about this. He blamed himself for what had happened. He genuinely believed it was his fault.

Lukas doesn't know what to do. He feels guilty. If he hadn't gotten hurt, Reggie wouldn't feel this way. His head aches searching for the right words to say, but he blanks. He decides words weren't good enough anyway and throws his arms around Reggie, his face wet with tears.

That was all Reggie needed to understand. He hugs Lukas back, hanging on like his life depended on it. Reggie sniffles a few times and Lukas pulls away, revealing his own tears. "I've never seen you cry before." Lukas teases, offering a small smile.

Reggie grunts, "And you still haven't. It's just allergies." He smiles back through teary eyes.

"Can we go train?"

"Wow, you're _asking_ to train?"

"I must have hit my head a bit harder than I thought," Lukas cringes the second he makes the joke, he sees Reggie's face fall. "That was too soon."

"Maybe a little." Reggie lets his shoulders relax, "You want to work on archery?"

Lukas smiles, wiping away his tears, that was always his favourite thing to work on, and it was also what he was best at. "Yeah. I'd like that."

"Good," Reggie stands, and offers a hand to help Lukas up. He takes it, and Reggie hoists him up. "Go grab your bow. I'll meet you in the courtyard. We'll have to take it easy today, okay?"

Lukas nods, and heads off to find his bow. He had it tucked away in a chest within his room, so he snatches it up along with his quiver, and heads out to the courtyard where Reggie awaited him. His mother was standing next to him, smiling as she saw Lukas approach.

Before he could greet either of them, there was a blinding flash of light. Lukas squeezes his eyes shut instinctively, and when he opens them and adjusts to the light he finds 3 people he's never seen before lying mere feet away from them.

He pulls an arrow from the quiver that was slung on his back and docks it in one smooth movement. Reggie and Isa draw their swords in the seconds after he draws his own weapon, the tension was contagious.

"Who are you?!"


	3. Tensions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Blaze Rods arrive in Sky City and tensions of different kinds begin to rise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeehaw theres more uh tension between aiden and lukas than i thought there would be so i gotta add a tag for that lmao  
> also the guard character without a name? hes my oc now i guess id die for him pretty much  
> and uhhh oh yeah this chapter is so many words and i had no idea itd be this long so big yikes that was my b  
> also i fucked with the plot so idk how many chapters this is gonna end up being but i think my plans are gonna be interesting so hopefully u stick around to read the end !  
> aight bet see u on the other side

"Woah, woah! Relax." One of the newcomers goes to stand, Lukas pulls the string of his bow back further. The man freezes. 

Isa steps forward, her blades glint in the bright morning sun. They look sharper, more battle ready, and more threatening. She raises one to the man who spoke. "Answer him. Who are you?"

"Aiden." He answers, "This is Maya, and that's Gill."

"Hi." Gill waves nervously from the ground, and Maya hits him on the arm in hopes that he'll be quiet.

"We're the Blaze Rods." Aiden continues, "We really-"

"Stop." Lukas demands, his voice commanding attention and respect. It was a new situation, that brought out a new Lukas. His mother glances back at Reggie and takes a step back. The pair have a silent conversation, but everyone else was too caught up in the moment to notice. "Where did you come from? You clearly aren't citizens."

"Really? How could you tell?" Aiden smirks like he was clever.

Lukas makes no move to react, there was no need. These newcomers had no business knowing how he felt. His mother, on the other hand, gets a bit upset at the implications of  Aiden's statement. She steps forward to defend her son, but Reggie puts a hand on her shoulder to remind her of their silent agreement. They would see how Lukas handled this on his own.

"Just answer the question. My fingers are getting tired. Maybe they'll slip." Lukas's voice was smooth and level, he plucks at his bow string once or twice to make his point.

"Alright! Relax. We came from..." He takes a moment, searching for an answer. "A different world."

That piqued Lukas's interest. His mind was suddenly hit with a barrage of questions. _What is it like there? Is it anything like Sky City? Or is it totally different? Is it anything like I've read? Or is it more than anything imaginable?_ Lukas wanted to know. He wanted to hear everything, he was filled with a new hope for escape. However, his more logical half took over again, crushing the hope. He knew his destiny was in Sky City. He was doing his best to come to terms with it, but that was becoming increasingly more difficult with this new development.

He refocuses. "How did you get here?"

Aiden slowly stands, his hands where Lukas could see them. "There was a portal that took us here."

"A... portal?"

"Yeah. What are you? Deaf?"

Lukas glances away for a second. He had no idea what a portal was. None of the books he had read mentioned one, let alone described what it was. He puffs his chest out to recover from his brief lapse in confidence. "What is a portal?" He pulls back a bit on his bow.

"You've never heard of a portal before?" Aiden looks surprised.

"I'm the one asking questions. What is it?"

Maya speaks up, as Gill helps her up from the ground. "It's like... a door, but instead of a room..." She hesitates to finish.

So Gill does for her. "It's another dimension."

Lukas does his best to process this. A door to another world. How were they created? Or were they there since the beginning of time? Did he have the means to create one for himself? All questions for later, after he decided what to do with these strangers. "Did you know where it led? When you stepped through did you know where you would go?"

Gill goes to answer, "We knew about--" But was cut off.

Aiden shoots him a threatening look. "We knew it would take us _somewhere_. We didn't know where, but we knew there was something here that we... were trying to protect. From a group of treasure hunters." Aiden talked slowly, glancing back at Maya and Gill who were nodding in hesitant agreement.

Lukas stares the three of them down, eyes narrowed and suspicious. "What are you trying to protect?"

"The Eversource."

Lukas felt sick. He hated that word. It was nothing but trouble and stress, and it was at this point his mother finally stepped in.

She sheathes her blades and steps forward, placing a hand on Lukas's shoulder, a silent request to lower his weapon. He does, but keeps the arrow docked. "You've heard of the Eversource in your world? What do you know of it?"

The three strangers seem to relax once Lukas no longer had an arrow aimed between their eyes. Maya and Gill stay quiet, letting Aiden lead them through the rest of the exchange. "Yes. It's said to be able to create valuable resources. That's all we know."

"What of this group of treasure hunters you mentioned?"

Aiden grimaces, "They're trying to take the Eversource."

Lukas couldn't help but think good riddance. Of course his dearest city needed it to thrive, but with how much trouble it caused him... It was worth it. He would do anything for his people, but there was only so much one man could take before beginning to resent his situation.

Reggie finally speaks up with his own question. "Will they listen to reason? You didn't come here with the knowledge that there is a city here with people who need it."

Aiden shakes his head. "They're thieves."

"Who burn forests to the ground!" Maya adds.

Gill rubs his face, as if trying to ease pain. "And hit innocent people..."

Aiden nods, with a solemn smile on his face. "What we're saying is, they aren't good. We came here to protect it. If it gets in their hands who knows what they'll do."

At the mere thought of the Eversource in hands with malicious intent made Lukas feel dizzy. He does his best to keep his confident facade in tact through all of the horrifying thoughts that cross his mind. His mother seemed to be thinking the same thing.

After a few moments of thoughtful and tense silence, Reggie speaks again. "How do we know we can trust you?"

Lukas hadn't even _considered_ not trusting them at this point, which caused guilt to burn in the pit of his stomach. His mother had seemed to trust them, so he felt inclined to do the same. Of course just because his mother trusted people did not make them trustworthy. She had spent so many years running her kingdom with so few troublemakers she had fallen into a poor habit of being too trusting. Lukas had unfortunately fallen into the same habits. He would need to remember to keep an eye on "The Blaze Rods" just in case.

Aiden's face is expressionless, or at least what Lukas had pinned as expressionless. It was closer to a slight scowl than anything else. Always angry, frustrated over something Lukas couldn't quite perceive yet. He would figure it out. "We'll prove our worth." Aiden insists, his chest puffed in pride. "Once they get here, and I promise you they will, we'll help you catch them."

Lukas's mother nods. "Alright. We trust you. If you don't mind, I'd like to discuss everything you know." She looks over the newcomers for a moment, "Perhaps after the three of you rest for a while."

Gill and Maya looked delighted to be able to relax. Aiden's expression still didn't change. "We would appreciate it." He says, looking deep into Lukas's baby blue eyes as he responds.

Lukas stares back. Refusing to lose the silent power battle. If he was going to prove himself a leader, he may as wells start now. His mother seems to notice the tension, and moves her hand down Lukas's arm to calm him. He turns to her and with a small nod of her head he feels at ease. She was proud of him, he could tell. The sparkle in her green eyes gave it away.

She turns back to her new guests. "I am Isa. The Founder is what I am known as. This is my son, the Prince of Sky City." She gestures to Lukas.

He bows his head. "I'm Lukas." He says, holding out a hand for Aiden to shake.

He instead bows to Lukas, press his lips against his knuckles. "It's an honor." He says, looking up at him with a smirk.

Lukas, having been born into royalty, was accustomed to this sort of treatment. He couldn't say that he enjoyed it, especially from an outsider who meant no respect. He was doing it to make the other two in his traveling party snicker.

And they did. Gill and Maya cover their faces to laugh quietly, but to Lukas's surprise, Aiden shoots them a glare. They fall silent.

Aiden lingers for a moment or so longer with Lukas's hand still held in his. His eyes trail down Lukas's body, gazing at where the fabric clung to his skin. His eyes linger on Lukas's chest, where his skin was shown. Lukas does his best to ignore it, but he feels his face heat up in response to the attention.

Reggie notices the loaded interaction and steps forward. "That's quite enough." He says, planting himself between the pair. "I'm Reginald. Captain of the guard." He doesn't offer his own hand for a shake, making it clear that his introduction was more of a threat.

Aiden doesn't seem to notice, offering his own hand instead. "Nice to meet you."

Reggie looks down at it, nearly in disgust. He ignores Aiden and turns to Lukas. "We'll have to save training for later, I forgot I have..." He pauses to look at Aiden, his lips pressed tightly together. "Business." He says, bowing to the Founder and Lukas before he pivots on his heels to leave.

Lukas watches him go, both relieved and disappointed that they were no longer training. He supposed it made sense, Reggie clearly had a distaste for the Blaze Rods, and Lukas understood that. They had made a sub par first impression, but that didn't bother Lukas too much. They seemed to want to help them protect the Eversource from the treasure hunters whoever they may be, which was good. That was what mattered.

His mother turns to him, "Lukas, could you take our guests to their room? They can stay in the trainee guard quarters." She turns to the Blaze Rods, "I hope it will be alright for the duration of your stay. If you'll excuse me." She says, bowing her head and turning to follow Reggie out of the courtyard.

Lukas doesn't wait to watch her go. "Follow me." He says curtly.

The four of them head to the guards quarters, it was usually filled with trainees, but recently they had all finished their training and graduated to become full guards. Lukas remembered the ceremony easily, it hadn't happened any longer than a week ago after all.

He pushes the memory aside, now was really not the time to reminisce. Instead he focuses on how each of their footsteps sounded as they walked. Lukas's were soft and barely noticeable, Aiden was the opposite. Gill had a certain spring in his step, and Maya tried to walk quietly but her heavy boots didn't allow it. An interesting group the Blaze Rods made, they all seemed to be so different. Perhaps even incompatible, but opposites attract, he supposed. Or so Lukas had read.

They finally make it to the guards quarters, which was thankfully not terribly far from Lukas's room. He felt a need to keep an eye on the three, perhaps to keep them in line, or maybe just out of pure curiosity. Whichever reason was more true, didn't matter. He would either way.

Lukas opens the door, "Here's where you'll stay." He gestures to the inside of the room. Hoping they'd walk in, so he could leave. He felt it would be best to discuss his future actions with his mother. He knew what he would do, but she was the Founder. It wasn't his choice. Not yet. "Make yourselves comfortable, I don't know when the Founder will be back to ask you her questions." Lukas disliked calling his mother that. It felt too formal. She was his mother before she was his leader. It never sat right with him to call her a name that meant less.

Aiden, Maya, and Gill all wander into the room hesitantly. Then Aiden decides it was safe, and throws his back onto one bed then falls into another. Maya and Gill relax once Aiden gets comfortable.

Lukas lingers outside the door for a moment or two. He wasn't sure if it was appropriate to ask them his own questions. Questions that weren't exactly relevant to the safety of the city. As he was battling his own curiosity, he hears his name.

"Prince...? Prince Lukas? Your majesty?" Lukas peaks into the room, Aiden was looking at him from the bed he had claimed. He pauses for a second. "What should we call you?"

Lukas smiles, "Lukas is fine."

"Cool. I just wanted to know, we don't have royalty where we're from." He pauses again, lost in thought for a moment or two. "How many other people live up here?"

"A bit less than a hundred." Lukas generalizes since he wasn't sure how specific Aiden wanted his answer. He corrects himself swiftly, just in case. "Around 94."

Maya seemed surprised. "That many? All up here? It's so small up here..."

Lukas nods, taking a step into the room to lean against the door frame.

"Wow. Makes it easier to keep track of everyone I guess." Gill says thoughtfully, sitting down on the bed he had been standing in front of.

Lukas shrugs, still silently wondering if he should bother with his own questions. He opens his mouth, then shuts it, then opens it, then shuts it again.

"Something on your mind, Lukas?" Aiden asks, looking up at him from his place on the bed. His eyes seemed to soften whenever he looked at Lukas, which made Lukas want to indulge in his questions. It made him want to be himself.

"I just had... questions. For you."

"I thought the Founder was going to ask us stuff?" Gill says, he sounds a little confused.

"She'll focus more on things that...matter? I just want to know what it's like. Where you're from I mean." Lukas pauses for only a second before going on. "You said that it was small here? Is it bigger where you are? How much bigger? How many people live there? Is there..." Lukas slowed down, starting to realize that he needed to let them answer first. He smiles, embarrassed. "Sorry."

Aiden chuckles. "How about this? We can take turn asking each other questions so we can  all get answers."

Lukas nods, composing himself again. His face still slightly pink with regret at letting his curiosity get the best of him.

"You asked like 7 questions. You'll have to pick one." Aiden teases him.

Lukas thinks for a second, he didn't know where to begin. He pulls the first question  he can from his mind and decides its good enough. "How much bigger is your world? When you stand in the center, can you see the edge?"

"Ah!" Aiden shakes his head. "That was two questions." He smirks, leaning his head back on the pillow to stare at the ceiling.

"Oh, you know what I meant." Lukas rolls his eyes in a good natured sort of way with a smile.

"There is no edge." Aiden shrugs, "But there is an end. It's called the Farlands. Where things begin to get scrambled and..." Aiden searches for the right word, looking over at his traveling partners for help.

"Wrong?" Maya suggested.

"Yeah. That's the word. The mountains are more like walls. You can't see the sky when you're looking at them. They blot out the sun." Aiden looked uneasy thinking about it.

Lukas on the other hand was amazed. Any direction Lukas looked there would be sky. Above him, beneath him. It  surrounded him. It was all he knew, the sky. To have a place where it nearly didn't exist sounded like a place he wanted to see. A place he wanted to experience.

Rather than expressing his awe, he simply nods. "Alright then, it's someone else's turn?"

"I have one." Gill, who had been staring out the window, straightens his back and looks to Lukas. "How do you _eat_ up here? I can't see any mobs from here." He looks back out the window to continue searching.

"That really is the first thing you would ask wouldn't it?" Maya rolls her eyes at him, but goes to look out of the window with him.

Lukas smiles. "There's a community garden in the center of the city." He pushes himself off of the door frame to go over next to them to point it out. "There."

"Oh. No meat?" Gill looks disappointed.

"We have to--" Lukas goes to answer but is interrupted by Maya.

"That's two questions! It's my turn."

Aiden shoots her a look, as a warning, and a tension slipped over the Blaze Rods that Lukas pretends not to notice. He turns to walk over to the nearest bed and sits on it. As he sits, he chuckles hoping to cause the new suffocating energy in the room to disperse.

Aiden looks over to Lukas when he laughed and a smile slipped onto his lips. Maya seemed infinitely more comfortable upon seeing Aiden's smile, so she continues to ask her question. "Have any of you ever fallen off of the edge?" She has a mix of emotions painted on her face. She mostly seemed to think it was funny, but there was also a bit of fear.

It upset Lukas to know that one of his guests had already shown herself to be cold and uncaring, but he then remembered that they came from someplace else. Someplace possibly harsher. More cruel. Who was to say that a sentiment like that wasn't normal? So he forgives her, possibly far too quickly, but he doesn't give it any further thought. "Yes. I'm afraid so. Children have been careless around the edge. Teenagers like to dare each other closer. Those intoxicated tend to be foolish. Accidents happen and people have died. It's a touchy subject around here. I'd watch what you say around some people, if I were you."

Maya's smirk disappears. It wasn't so funny anymore now that she knows that it wasn't just a joke.

Aiden rolls his eyes at her, like he had already known the answer. Then turns to Lukas with a sympathetic look on his face.

Lukas offers a small shrug, but moves on. "Aiden. It's your turn."

"Hm... How were you chosen to become the next leader?" Aiden

Lukas feels his shoulders droop. He does his best not to look as ashamed as he feels. "The Founder is my mother, I am just next in line." He says, answering this questions with less enthusiasm than any other. He shrugs, "Bad luck."

"What do you mean? Leading a kingdom sounds... awesome?" Aiden sits up to look at him dead in the eyes.

Lukas looks away. "It's a lot of work. It's not the most exciting thing for me. There are things I'd rather do." Lukas suddenly remembers it may not be so wise to open up to these strangers so quickly. He sits up straight. "But it's my responsibility, so I'll lead and I'll do it well." He scoffs internally.

No one responds aloud, all Lukas gets is a thoughtful nod from Aiden.

"Alright then. Your turn." Aiden says, laying down on his back again.

"How many people live on your world?"

Aiden shrugs. "I don't care to know. There are too many to count." 

Lukas was baffled. That left his mind enough room to run wild. How many people was too many to count? Hundreds? Thousands? "Must be really hard to manage everyone that way."

"Oh, we don't really do that. Everyone runs around and does their own thing a lot of the time. Sometimes they build towns or cities that manage a small part of the population." He rolls his eyes. "We prefer to go it alone though. Less ties to hold you down."

What a thought? Lukas adored the idea of not having any responsibilities. Just to run around and be free. He does his best to rope himself back into reality, but it just didn't seem to be working. He begins to think about all the things he could do if he was able to live like that. He could write to his hearts content. He could explore and discover something new. He could--

"Lukas?" A voice just outside of his consciousness calls to him. "Are you still with us?"

"What?" He snaps out of his fantasies and refocuses his eyes on Aiden. "Oh. Yeah. Sorry." He smiles, a bit embarrassed that his mind wandered off so easily in front of everyone.

"No problem." Aiden shrugs. "Anyone else got another question? I'm out."

Gill opens his mouth, then shuts it again, shaking his head. Maya looks to Aiden, then shrugs looking back out the window at the city.

"I guess that's all from us then, Luke." Aiden lays on his side to face Lukas. "It's all you."

Lukas was briefly taken aback by the nickname. He was unused to being called something like that by anyone who wasn't Reggie, but he decides to let it go. He had too many questions to ask, but now that he had been put on the spot, suddenly felt like he had forgotten every single one.

For a moment or so he thinks about how nice it was to not worry about being _The Prince_. He was just Lukas. It was a subtle change, but one that he appreciated. The nature of their relationship made it easier for Lukas to give himself a chance to be... him. He hadn't even realized how little he had the chance to do so. He was always so focused on making sure he would be a good leader for Sky City he had neglected his own personality. It was weird to realize how long he had been stuck in an act. Almost as if he could barely tell which Lukas was real anymore.

He shakes the thoughts from his head and tries to think of another question. It took him a moment or so to come up with one, but before he could ask his mother knocks on the door frame.

"May I?" She asks.

Aiden stands up and bows his head, the other Blaze Rods stand, too. "Yes, ma'am." 

She smiles and takes a few steps into the room, she gestures for them all to sit back down. "Sorry I took so long, I had some work to do. I've been a bit behind. These past couple of days have been...busy."

Lukas knows what she means. He feels his head throb and his heart ache with guilt. He rubs the back of his head, miserably.

She notices and goes to sit next to him, laying her hand on his shoulder but doesn't go to comfort him any further than that. She wouldn't, not in front of strangers. She had a reputation to uphold. It had always been important to her.

"Are you ready to answer my questions?" She asks.

Aiden nods, an air of confidence surrounds him, but his travelling companions look uneasy. Lukas smiles at them, doing his best to comfort them. It works fairly well, they smile back at him seeming to relax.

"Excellent. I wanted to ask you about your treasure hunters. Do you have any idea of when they may arrive?"

Aiden's confidence dissipates. "I don't know. They were right behind us before. They might be here already." 

Lukas sits up straight and looks to his mother, alarmed. She glances at him for a moment, but looks back to Aiden, her expression unchanging. Lukas tries to mimic her, doing his best to try and regain composure. It was a bit difficult though, knowing that it was possible that the treasure hunters could be in the midst of preparing an attack. His mind wanders off and he forgets about professionalism.

His mother moves on. "Do you know how many of them there will be or are?"

"Three. Same as us."

"How powerful would you say that they are? Would we be able to defend the Eversource?"

Lukas briefly wondered what she meant by "we," but doesn't dwell on it for too long. The conversation was moving a bit too quickly for Lukas's mind to wander off to the specifics.

"Extremely." Aiden says, his expression darkens and his voice lowers. He sounds bitter. These people must have done a lot of wrong. "But we can handle them." He gestures to Maya, Gill, and then himself in one swift movement. "If you will allow us to help you. Ma'am." He dips his head slightly, it seemed to be his way of showing respect.

Lukas's mother smiles, "If you would be willing, I would not turn away your kindness."

"We'd be happy to."

"Thank you. I feel you would be able to help best if you helped prepare the guards for the treasure hunters. A lot of them are a bit rusty in battle, as there haven't been many threats in ages." Lukas could sense that she took pride in how peaceful things had been under her rule, but she does her best to hide it. "Would you mind doing that?"

"No problem, ma'am. They'll be whipped into shape in no time." Aiden says, his own pride radiating off him in waves.

"Good. I trust that they will be." She thinks for a moment, staying quiet with a subtle look of contemplation on her face. No one knew that face better than Lukas did. One would never be able to tell she was deep in thought unless they knew her. And Lukas knew her better than anyone. He looks over at her, expectantly waiting for her to verbalize these thoughts, but she doesn't seem to notice his gaze. "I think the rest of the city should hear about all of this... Is there any chance they will listen to reason?"

Aiden scoffs, "I doubt it."

"Hm." Lukas's mother nods, "I see. Well, I will need to warn my citizens of that. I would also think it would be beneficial to introduce you so that they know who you all are. It isn't everyday that new people drop by."

The Blaze Rods all nod and murmur in agreement.

"Then it's settled." She pushes herself off of the bed to stand. "If you could come with me, please." She then turns to Lukas and her voice lowers so only he can hear. "Go ask Reggie to call for a meeting, would you, baby?"

Lukas nods and watches them all file out of the door before he heads out of the room himself. He isn't sure where Reggie would be, but he tries the guard quarters. He pushes the door open and peeks inside to find the young guard who had been posted at his door earlier.

"Prince Lukas!" He stumbles to attention.

Lukas smiles a bit awkwardly. He was a bit uncomfortable when people were jumpy in his presence. He wished his title didn't cause some to treat him as a deity. He was just a person. Just Lukas. "At ease... soldier." He says, stiffly. "I just wanted to know where Reggie was."

"Oh! Yes, sir. He told us all to meet him at the training grounds in a few moments. I was on my way there now." The guard fumbles with his hands for a second. "I could escort you?"

Lukas knew there was no need for an escort. He could get there fine on his own, but the young guard was always so eager to help Lukas never turned him down. "That would be perfect. Thank you."

The guard's nervous expression falls away to reveal a grin. He bows his head and gestures for Lukas to follow him.

Within a few moments they had made it to the training grounds. Lukas spots Reggie on the far side of the room. He thanks the guard with a smile and a bow of his head, then walks over to speak with Reggie.

Reggie had been talking to his lieutenants while he had been waiting for the rest of the guards to gather. Once he sees Lukas walk toward him, the lieutenants break off their group. Lukas greets them as they pass.

As Lukas gets closer, he can see Reggie's face with more detail. He looks uneasy, but Lukas decides not to mention it. "Hey, Reggie. Mama needs you to call a meeting."

Reggie's expression darkens, but he still nods. He walks out of the training area, Lukas not far behind. Before they exit completely, he catches one of his lieutenants. "Tell the rest of the guards what I told you. I have a meeting to call." The lieutenant salutes him, and Reggie responds with a tiny nods and continues to walk away.

Lukas was confused. They seemed to know what Reggie was talking about, but Lukas didn't. So he asks. "What did you tell them?"

"About the Blaze Rods." He doesn't elaborate, but the answer was good enough for Lukas. Reggie was always on top of things like that. Lukas should have expected that the Blaze Rods were the reason that he called for the guards to gather.

They walk in a tense silence to the exit tunnel. Before they go outside, Reggie stops Lukas with a gentle touch of his shoulder. "Do you really think we can trust them?"

Lukas wasn't surprised by a question like that from Reggie. He was always so careful, bordering paranoid. It made sense that Reggie was worried about new people. Lukas answers without hesitation, not because he was sure, but to put Reggie at ease. "They want to help us and mama seems to think we can trust them."

That didn't seem to relax him. His shoulders were still tense. Lukas reaches out to comfort him, placing a kind hand on his shoulder with a smile.

He smiles back halfheartedly, hesitating before responding. "Maybe I'm just paranoid, but I didn't like the way the green one looked at you." He scowls, and glances at the tunnel they had not yet entered.

It took Lukas a second to decode what "the green one" meant. He realized that Reggie had been referring to Aiden, who Lukas finally took the time to realize had been wearing green.

Lukas feels his face heat up and he shifts his weight from foot to foot. It had been a little embarrassing to be stared at like that in front of his mother. He may have even considered it a bit creepy, but he found himself trying his best not to let himself fault someone who didn't completely understand Sky City's culture. Lukas thought it was best to give them the benefit of the doubt. "Perhaps things are different in their world. He might not know that it was... uncomfortable."

Reggie, looking back at Lukas, crosses his arms. "If you both trust them... I guess I'll keep my mouth shut. I hope you don't mind if I keep an extra eye on them."

Lukas remembers that he was supposed to be doing the same thing. Keeping an eye on the Blaze Rods. But after their conversation, Lukas felt comfortable with them. Like they could be trusted. It wasn't a lot to go on, but their curiosity about their new surroundings was something Lukas was glad to see. They seemed eager to learn about  his city, which seemed promising. If they wanted to learn how things worked, they  will become fond of the city. Lukas was sure of it.

So Lukas shrugs, indifferent of Reggie's paranoia. "If it will help you feel better."

Reggie nods. "Yeah. It will." He finally turns to enter the tunnel.

Lukas trails after him, squinting when he reaches the end of it. He tilts his head toward the sun, letting the rays kiss his face. He hears Reggie call for all of the citizens to gather in front of the palace, but the sound of his voice fades away into the background as Lukas stares at his sky. The sky he loved. The sky he hated.

After a few moments, his mother interrupts his moment of peace with a light touch on his shoulder. He looks away from the sky, to the sea of people before them, and finally to his mother. "Ready?"

"Mhm."

She smiles, then walks over to the edge of the tunnel. "Citizens!" She calls, and the entire city goes silent.

Lukas glances at Aiden from his place next to his mother. He seems impressed with the respect she commands. Lukas feels a small smile make its way on his face in response to Aiden. He was an interesting guy. He hoped they could spend more time together.

He shakes the thoughts from his head and refocuses on the the things his mother was saying, his face tinted pink.

"They say they are here to help us protect the Eversource." Her voice seems to echo through the empty streets. "They say that there is a second group. Treasure hunters. They are coming for the Eversource. We need all of you to watch our for them. If you see these treasure hunters please contact a guard. Do not get in their way. Do not try to fight them. Let them be, and just report them to us."

She then pauses to let the information sink in. The city is filled with worried murmurs and concerned whispers but they dissipate the second she begins to speak again.

Lukas finds himself leaning around his mother to look at Aiden. He had his eyebrows raised and his lips parted just a bit. He was staring at Lukas's mother in awe and Lukas feels pride well in his chest.

His mother really was amazing.

He checks back into what his mother was saying. "--will be prepared for them within the day. I promise you will all be safe."

The air of tension seems to dissipate immediately. The city seemed calm again.

"You are all dismissed." She turns and heads back into the tunnel without another word, beckoning for Reggie to come with them as she walks back down the tunnel.

The Blaze Rods followed the Founder while Lukas waits for Reggie to meet him at the entrance, but Aiden seemed to lag behind. He glanced back every few seconds to look at Lukas.

Lukas doesn't notice. He simply smiles at Aiden the first time he sees, but goes back to waiting for Reggie.

Once Reggie reaches the tunnel entrance, the pair walks together back into the palace. "Were we still going to train today?" Lukas almost didn't ask. He didn't want to. He had been flooding with ideas for his story all morning. He wasn't sure he could handle another moment where he wasn't scribbling in his journal falling to bits.

"No. I don't think so, Luke. Sorry." Reggie glanced at the Blaze Rods anxiously. "I have to go. We'll have to train some other time." He then leaves in a rush.

Lukas shrugs, leaving to grab his journal, only to come back into the throne room he had just left. It was one of his favorite places to hang out. The lighting was just so. The stairs in front of the throne is where he chooses to sit. He wastes no time and gets to work immediately.

In his smooth scrawl, he writes down every single idea he has had the past few hours. He doesn't look up once, so he doesn't notice Aiden wander by, simply watching him. He was too focused, his nose shoved between the newly ink-stained pages.

"Hey." Aiden says, his voice was low and husky.

Lukas couldn't place why, but Aiden's voice sent shivers down his spine. "Hi." He says, trying his best to keep composed. He prays that Aiden doesn't notice his discomfort.

"What are you writing?" Aiden moves to sit closer to Lukas, leaning over to see what was within the journal.

Instinctively, Lukas shuts it. "A story. I'm trying to write a book."

Aiden leans back, suppressing a scowl at the fact that he wasn't being allowed to see. "What's it about?"

"I'm... not really sure yet. I've only written the beginning, I think, but it... seems to already be over. I want to continue. It's a sad ending the way it is now. I didn't really plan it out all the way. I've only written certain parts, and it's all out of order and I--" Lukas sits up straight and smiles a bit embarrassed that he was caught rambling. "Sorry, I'm... I get excited about it..."

Aiden shrugs. "It's cool. Do you mind if I read it?"

Lukas wanted to show him. He really did, but a brief insecurity took hold of his mind. He didn't want to embarrass himself, more than he had, in front of the first person who didn't treat him as a prince but as a person. It was one of his favorite things in the world, to simply be... him. But at the same time he was scared that maybe "just Lukas" wasn't good enough either.

He pushes those thoughts aside. They didn't matter if he really did want to be himself. And he wanted nothing more.

He doesn't look at Aiden. He doesn't say anything either, he just hands the journal over to him.

The moment the leather cover leaves his grip, anxiety eats him from the inside out. What if Aiden didn't like it? What if he thought it was dumb? Or worse! Poorly written?

It takes an achingly long time for Aiden to finish. Once he gets finished he tosses it back to Lukas. "I didn't really get a lot of it."

Lukas didn't know how to take that. "Oh." He didn't mean to say it out loud, but sometimes things slip. "Was it because I wrote it badly?"

"No. I'm sure it was fine. I just don't read."

"Oh." Lukas says again. He really didn't know how to take that. Did he not read because he hated it? Or did they not read in his world very often? He had many questions about the culture of where Aiden was from, but refrained from asking. "Did you want me to explain it to you?"

Aiden shrugs. "Sure, if you want to."

So he did.

Lukas spent a couple hours explaining to Aiden what his story meant and all of the tiny intricacies and details he put so much thought into. Occasionally, Aiden asked a question, which Lukas happily answered. They talked so long that the moon began to rise and washed the room in a cool light.

During a lull in their conversation, Lukas looks up at the moon. "I should head to sleep, so Reggie doesn't lecture me tomorrow morning." He pauses and looks back at Aiden, who looked even more attractive with the moon hitting his fave just so. He ignores that thought. "It was really nice talking to you."

"Yeah." Aiden offers a small smile. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Lukas smiles back, standing and already beginning to walk back to his room before he calls back to Aiden. "Sleep well."

\---

Lukas awakens the next morning to a knock on his door. "Come in," he murmurs, rolling over to look at the door to see who enters.

It's his mother. She steps inside the room and shuts the door quietly behind her. "Hey, baby."

"Hi, mama." Lukas sits up and stretches his arms above his head, then slouches back down with a tired sigh.

"How are you doing? Do you need to change your bandage?"

The bite on his arm hadn't bled through this bandage, but he nods. "Yeah," He says, yawning in the middle of his response. "I could use a new bandage."

She must have expected that answer, because she already had gauze with her. She sits down on the edge of his bed and holds out her hand out, silently asking if she could help him. He complies, holding his injured arm to her. She stays quiet as she changes the bandage as carefully as she can.

As she is nearly finished, she asks, "What about your head?"

Lukas had been so focused on their new visitors that the pain in his head had become a constant dull throb. An annoyance, but nothing more.  He had nearly forgotten about it. Lukas shrugs, "I'll be okay. The pain is nearly gone I think."

His mother nods slowly, thoughtful. "I just wanted to ask you what you thought about...everything. We haven't had many chances to talk recently and I just wanted to hear what you had to say."

He hums, he wasn't sure what to say. He could admit staying up long into the night with Aiden the night previous, or the self indulgent questions he asked all three Blaze Rods the morning they arrived. He could mention that Reggie didn't trust them, or how Aiden kept looking at him in a certain way that Lukas didn't quite understand. "It's a lot. There's so much that's happened. I'm not sure where to begin."

She smiles in that understanding sort of way that she does. "Yeah. We still have some time this morning. I was going to ask the Blaze Rods to start that training I mentioned this morning, but it seems that they are late sleepers."

Lukas nods. "Well I guess I've spent a lot of time with the Blaze Rods? Before you talked to them I asked them my own questions."

She raises her eyebrows, as if to ask him to share his findings. He rushes to respond, "It was nothing important. I just asked them things about their world."

His mother smiles and nods, gesturing for him to continue speaking.

"I think they're interesting people, and I think they do mean to help us. Or at the very least they want to get rid of the treasure hunters. For themselves or for us it doesn't matter."

Lukas hesitates to continue, it was a bit embarrassing to admit to his mother that he gravitated toward Aiden. He does it anyway. "I also, talked to Aiden for a few hours last night. Again, it was nothing important." By that he meant pertinent to the safety of the kingdom, but that was far too long winded. His book was extremely important to him, but the safety of the kingdom should have been more so... It was up in the air.

"I just... think he's pretty-- Cool! Pretty cool."

Lukas's mother catches his slip up and grins. "You like him, huh?"

He nods just slightly in hopes she won't notice, his face bright red and burning hot. "Yeah. A little."

"Good news for you then. He seems to like you, too."

Lukas raises a brow. "How could you tell?"

"That stunt he pulled when you introduced yourself? Those were bedroom eyes, Lukas." She winks at him, still grinning.

"Awh! Mama!"

"I'm only teasing you, baby." She says, her grin dying down to a small smile. "I am serious though. He does seem to like you. Once all of this treasure hunter business is over with, you might have a chance to get to know him better."

Lukas liked that idea. Maybe if he was lucky what mama said was really true, he did like Lukas, too. He would have to find out sometime later. Now was a bad time to think about that sort of thing, and Lukas was painfully aware of that. "Yeah... The treasure hunters..."

Lukas then remembers that there was one more thing. Reggie's distaste for the Blaze Rods. He wasn't sure if mama already knew, or if Reggie would even mention it, or if it even should be mentioned it at all. It would be unfair to throw Reggie under the bus if it caused his mother to be upset that he didn't seem to trust her judgement. But it seemed important. Reggie's instincts were something that Lukas trusted just as much as he trusted his mother's. It might have been worth considering what Reggie had to say, even if it might have been irrational.

"Was there something else, baby?"

He had stayed quiet for so long that his mother seemed to know he had something else on his mind. She knew him far too well for his own good. There was no use hiding it now. "I don't know if Reggie mentioned it to you, but he doesn't trust the Blaze Rods as much as we do. He hasn't mentioned why. I think it's just an instinct sort of thing. I just... think you should know."

She nods, expressionless. Lukas could tell that she didn't like the situation, despite her well veiled emotions. He supposed he knew her too well for her own good. "I'll talk to him about that."

"Don't go too hard on him." Lukas says, "He means the best."

She lets go of a tension she had been holding in her shoulders, "Yeah. I know he does, but I need his trust if we are going to figure this out. It's new to all of us."

Lukas gets that, but still. His heart went out to Reggie. Lukas could tell that he would get a bit of a talking to which would be terrifying. His mother wasn't a force to be reckoned with.

"Anyway." She can tell he was a bit uncomfortable with the situation, so she moves to change the subject. "Once the Blaze Rods are up, did you want to watch them train? I'd rather you just watch, if that is okay. I'm worried about your injuries."

"I'll just watch. No worries."

She smiles. "Thank you." She stands and walks to the door, "I'll leave you to get ready then. I have some work to do, but I will still be by to watch the guard's progress a bit. I'll see you then?"

"Yeah."

"I love you."

"Love you, too, mama."

She shuts the door behind her and Lukas nearly leaps out of bed tearing his covers off him to get ready. He was eager to see how different the Blaze Rods' battle style was from the guards'. He was also excited to see Aiden, just in general. He tried to convince himself to think of Aiden less, but that proved to be a bit difficult.

He gets ready as fast as possible, this morning finishing the routine completely makeup and all. Once he exits the bathroom, the Blaze Rods were exiting their own room.

Lukas wanders over to them, doing his best to hide his excitement when talking to them. "Did the Founder tell you about training this morning?"

"Yeah," Gill says, yawning, "A bit early for it."

Maya shrugs, "I've been itching to do something, it's really quiet up here. No mobs to deal with. Training will be a nice change in pace."

Lukas was surprised to hear the implication that she enjoyed dealing with mobs. It was a nightmare for him, but he supposed that may not be true of everyone. He pushes the thought aside. "Do you know if the guards know too?"

"She said she was going to send half of them our way, then we could train the other half later so the city is still protected." Aiden, the last to exit the room, smiles at Lukas.

Lukas grins back. "She's good about that sort of thing. I was gonna watch, if you don't mind."

Maya shrugs and Gill opens his mouth to say something, but Aiden pushes between the two to be closer to Lukas. "I could train you, if you wanted." Aiden says, his voice low again.

Lukas suppresses a shutter. "I would... rather not." He didn't want to say no completely, though. He was excited about the idea of being able to see up close what Aiden's broad body was capable of. He hopes he isn't blushing at the thought. "Maybe some other time...?"

"Anything for a moment with you, Luke."

He was definitely blushing now. He looks to the ground.

Maya looks annoyed and she rolls her eyes, but Gill seemed delighted. "Aw! That's so sweet. Maya stop. Be nice." He says.

She just scoffs. "Can we just go train?"

Lukas looks back up, recomposing himself. "Of course, I can take you to the training grounds. Follow me." He says, and begins walking with Aiden by his side and Maya and Gill a couple steps behind them.

The guards are already there, many of them look excited, some of the newer guards a bit tired, Reggie looks disgusted. Lukas almost laughs at the sight of his scowl, but he doesn't. "Hey, Reggie." Lukas greets him, which causes him to walk over.

"Hi, Lukas. Did you sleep well last night?"

"Mhm! Really well." He glances at Aiden, who had left his side to greet the younger guards that had surrounded him.

Reggie follows his gaze and scowl deepens. "Uh huh."

"Were you going to train, too? I'm excited to see what sort of moves they have in their world. How different things are, you know?"

"No." 

"O-Oh. Right." Reggie put Lukas in an awkward position. He wanted to support Reggie and the fact that he distrusted the Blaze Rods, but it was becoming more difficult the more time they had spent there. They had been in Sky City for a day, but Lukas felt closer to them than he had had any citizen of the kingdom. It had been so easy for Lukas and his mother to trust them, why was it so hard for Reggie? "Sorry."

Reggie glances over at him. His scowl softens briefly to reveal a look of guilt, but Lukas doesn't see. His scowl deepens again when he seems to remember why he didn't trust them.

Neither of them say anything further as they watch the training begin. Aiden was a good leader, all of the guards listened to his authority no matter how brief it mattered. It was interesting to see how commanding Aiden was in this context, and despite not being trained for battle Lukas found he was being trained in a different way. How to command respect. He thought he was pretty good at it already, but it looked like he still had a lot to learn.

His mental note taking was interrupted by his mother coming up beside the pair. She offers Lukas a smile, but when her gaze reaches Reggie the kind smile disappears.

She breaks eye contact and looks out at the guards listening to Aiden's instruction. "Reginald."

Oh no.

"Founder."

"Why aren't you training with them?"

"No need."

She hums. The subtlest indication of disapproval leaks into her voice. "Prove it."

Reggie sputters. "I'm sorry?"

"I said, 'prove it.'" She still doesn't look at him. "That's an order, Captain."

Lukas, who was standing between them was miserable. He stares at the ground, praying that the obvious tension doesn't explode into something worse. Everyone else had started to turn to see what was going on. Aiden had even paused his instruction to jog over and see what had Lukas practically curled in on himself.

"Ma'am." Aiden bows his head to the Founder. "May I ask what is going on?"

"My captain should train, but he seems to forget that I am his leader and I need him to trust my judgement. I need him to prove that he doesn't need your help." She raises her head high. "Would you mind?"

Aiden grins, looking to Reggie, malicious intent hidden poorly in his gaze. "I'd be happy to."

Reggie stares back at him with a scoff. "Let's just get this over with already."

Lukas was horrified. He felt guilty for bringing his mother's wrath on Reggie, he trusted Reggie with his entire heart, but still felt that his mother should know. His mother and him told each other everything, now was no exception. She was also the Founder, their leader. It made no sense not to tell her that her most reliable soldier didn't trust her. Aiden being thrown in the mix hadn't helped either. He seemed awfully eager to fight Reggie, and his mother encouraging the rivalry was worse.

The pair were led into the center of the training grounds, the rest of the guards moved to the side to watch. Lukas doesn't move from his place at the edge of the grounds, he was frozen. He had no idea if he should do something to stop this.

The Founder stands between them, "Whoever pins the other first, wins." She turns to Reggie. "Captain. When you lose? I expect that you listen to me, and train a bit."

Reggie doesn't respond, but anger flares in his eyes. Lukas could see it.

The minute the Founder steps from between them and back to her spot next to Lukas. The pair was squared up and it only takes a few moments for their swords to start swinging. Lukas didn't want to watch. He wasn't sure he could stand it. She places a hand on his shoulder, causing him to look up at her.

"Do they really have to fight?"

"Reginald needs to understand that he has to trust me, or there will be consequences." She wasn't looking at him, she stared at the battle occurring in front of her with no remorse.

Lukas flinches when she heard him use Reggie's full name. She was more angry than Lukas had thought. He really messed things up.

As the guilt ate him up, he stares at the ground as the swords clash together violently. He flinches at each blow. He didn't know what he would do if one of them got hurt. If he had kept his mouth shut this never would have happened.

"Pay attention to me! Give it your all!" Reggie yells.

Which causes Lukas to look up, right into Aiden's eyes. He winks, which was not something Lukas had expected or felt was appropriate. No matter how he felt, his face heats up. He can't seem to look away after that. The way Aiden moved was mesmerizing. He felt ashamed that he was so caught up by how attractive Aiden was, but that thought was swept away too.

Now that Lukas was paying attention, Aiden seemed to care more about the fight. He pinned Reggie within moments.

Reggie was seething. He pushes Aiden off of him, and stays on the ground for an extra second or so. He yells wordlessly into the sky, which causes Lukas to snap out of his dazed state. He rushes over to help Reggie up off of the ground. "Are you okay?" Lukas asks, offering a hand, but glancing over at Aiden as he does.

Reggie notices the glance, pushing Lukas's hand away to get up on his own. "I'm fine." He says curtly.

The Founder turns her back and begins walking out of the training grounds. "Have fun with training, Captain." She says, not even glancing over her shoulder as she disappears back into the palace.

Lukas suddenly remembers how tense everything was. He forgets about Aiden and his mind is suddenly flooded with that guilt again. Reggie was angry, and so was his mother. This was a bad mixture. They were usually so balanced. One calming the other in times of stress, but with both of them angry? Lukas didn't know what would happen and he didn't know what to do about it either. He feels exhausted, the pain in his head becoming more noticeable. He rubs the back of his neck and lets his head hang in defeat with a sigh.

Aiden has a small smile gracing his lips. His chest puffed in pride. "Do you think we can get back to training now?"

Reggie walks over to his guards in defeat, yet he keeps his head held high against the murmurs of surprise from his soldiers. "Well, get on with it. Teach us what you know."

"Great." Aiden smirks, standing in front of the crowd to begin instruction once more.

Lukas makes his way over to the side, watching the guards train with Aiden. He seemed to be in his element leading everyone like this, but that was the least important thing Lukas had on his mind. He was running through all the possible ways he could defuse the situation he had started. He could convince his mother that Reggie only means the best, but that might cause her to be upset with him. He could try to get Reggie to trust Aiden, but after that battle he would be harboring a grudge against Aiden for who knows how long. There was no good way out of the situation, but he knew that he needed out of it.

He had been stuck in his head for long enough to allow time to pass him by. Aiden had finished his lecture and walked over to Lukas. He leans on the fence next to him.

"Are you good?"

"Oh. Yeah. I'm okay." He barely looks up at Aiden, still focused on his mess of thoughts that he was doing his best to organize.

"You sure? You seem pretty out of it."

"Yeah it's just..." He finally looks up at Aiden. Upon seeing his face, Lukas spills. "Reggie and mama don't usually fight like this. It's scary, and it's kind of totally my fault. I need to make things okay again, I just don't know how."

"Oh. Yeah. That was tense." Aiden whistles. "You want to spar with me? That helps me sometimes. Work off some stress or whatever."

Lukas shakes his head. Aiden was distracting him, he needed to remember that anything he could have with Aiden wasn't his priority. He needed to deal with the treasure hunters, and he needed the two most important people in the kingdom to get along to get things done. "Mama wouldn't want me to. I was just injured recently, I don't need her to be anymore stressed than she already is. She will freak if I get hurt again."

"I noticed. How'd it happen?"

"I don't... really want to talk about it."

Aiden shrugs, he doesn't seem to care not hearing about it. "No big deal. You can talk to me though, if you need me."

Lukas smiles softly, "Yeah. I'll... keep that in mind."

Reggie then walks up to the two, interrupting their moment.

Lukas's smile disappears, he could tell what Reggie was doing. He hated seeing Lukas and Aiden anywhere near each other and consistently tried to keep them apart. It was frustrating when Aiden, the one who seemed to understand him the best out of anyone else, was the one Reggie was trying to keep Lukas away from.

Both Aiden and Reggie notice Lukas's change in expression and the tension grows.

"Are you done with this set of guards? It might be a good time to train the other half of them. We need to get them ready as soon as possible." Reggie crosses his arms. "Like you said, they could be here already. It really doesn't help to just stand around."

Aiden rolls his eyes and gives Lukas a lighthearted smile. "Yeah, whatever. You can switch them out."

Lukas smiles back, just a little.

Reggie scowls. "Lukas, may I have a word?"

Lukas nods. There was nothing that he wanted to do less, but he lets himself be led out of the training grounds, giving Aiden a regretful look over his shoulder on the way out.

Once they were within the palace walls once more, Reggie doesn't waste any time. "You told your mother how I felt about the Blaze Rods didn't you?"

"Well... yes, but--"

"Lukas, you had to have known how things would be when you told her!"

"I did, but--"

"Things are extremely difficult as it is! With me trying to keep you away from Aiden and looking out for the treasure hunters I--"

"Reggie!" Lukas yells. He had enough. "I know you don't trust the Blaze Rods. I thought mama should know! She runs our city! She needs to know what her second in command thinks. I didn't think she would take it so poorly. I'm sorry for that. I'm sorry for making things difficult! I know it's my fault and I'm trying to fix it you just have to give me the chance." Lukas's voice wavers as if he was about to cry, he keeps it together long enough to finish. "As for Aiden, it's not your choice. If I want to spend time with him, I will. I'm an adult and you don't get to decide. I know you distrust him, but you haven't even given him a shot. I've talked to him for longer than you and I... like him! He makes me feel things I've never felt before. I can tell him things even though we haven't known each other that long. He doesn't treat me like royalty. He treats me like a person, and I like it that way. If you don't like him, fine. Keep it to yourself." Once he was finished with his rant, the tears are falling down his face. His face red and hot with anger.

Reggie was taken aback. Lukas was never this angry and Reggie hadn't expected such an outburst. His own anger dissipated and his face softens. "Lukas..."

Lukas didn't have the energy to be angry anymore. He sniffles, "What?"

Reggie didn't say anything more. He just pulled Lukas into a hug, which was an apology that was good enough for Lukas. He wraps his arms around Reggie and cries softly. The past couple days were far too exciting for him to handle.

"Are we okay?"

"Yeah. We're good." Reggie pulls out of the hug, "Do you want to go back? To watch the training with... Aiden?" He was still a bit hesitant to let Lukas go back, but was determined to make things right again.

Lukas appreciated the effort more than Reggie would ever know, but he shakes his head. "No, that's okay."

Reggie looked like he was about to say something more, but they were interrupted by the young guard rushing in. "Captain!" He cries, panting in between his yells. "Captain!!"

"What? What's going on?" Reggie steps forward to put a hand on the shoulder of the guard, who was now bent over and out of breath.

He takes a few seconds before continuing to speak, his chest heaving with the effort it took to breathe. "There's an illegal bridge leading into town and sightings of newcomers. The treasure hunters are here."


End file.
